NBA Basketball Portland at Los Angeles Clippers 10-27-10

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Portland Trail Blazers (1-0) v. Los Angeles Clippers (0-0)

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 10:30PM EST

Line: Portland -2.5

Overview:

The Blazers were able to kick off their season on Tuesday with an 8-point win over the Suns without their young center, Greg Oden. The seven-footer announced on Monday that he’s eyeing a late-November return, but Portland did just fine without him, out-rebounding the Suns by 18 boards on Tuesday night. The Clippers are looking for better fortunes this year; their rookie, Blake Griffin will start alongside Ryan Gomes and Chris Kaman for the Clippers.

Keys to the Game:

– The Clippers can become deadly from the arc; players such as Baron Davis, Rasual Butler and most importantly, Eric Gordon, aren’t afraid to jack the trey. Gordon is coming off a dazzling summer outing for team USA, the 21-year-old averaged 16.9 points and shot .371 from the arc for the Clippers last season.

– This game will be physical down low, the Blazers benefitted from their lanky post players in their last game against the Suns. Marcus Camby, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for a total of thirty rebounds in Tuesday victory. Expect them to clash with Chris Kaman and Griffin in the post throughout the game.

– As Baron Davis enters his twelfth season, the 31-year-old vet has spent two quiet years in Los Angeles. Last season Davis averaged 15.3 points, 8 assists and 1.7 steals per game last season. While the Clippers drafted Eric Bledsoe for the team’s backcourt, newcomer Randy Foye should be able to aid the backcourt with his toughness at the guard position.

Game Forecast:

The Clippers have developed into much upgraded team on paper when compared to last season. They’ll be meeting their match early this season as the Blazers are a force in the west. Brandon Roy has looked excellent and so has Andre Miller. Portland should be able to use their reliable front court and will also benefit from their heady guard-play.